Title page for ETD etd-01262012-143445

Ballplayer, an Addiction Story: A Production Thesis of a Generated Solo Performance Piece

Degree

Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)

Department

Theatre

Advisory Committee

Advisor Name

Title

Erickson, Nick

Committee Member

Holben, Richard

Committee Member

Judy, George

Committee Member

Keywords

multi-media

solo performance

theatre

Eric Show

baseball

Date of Defense

2011-10-10

Availability

unrestricted

Abstract

The thesis assignment was to create a stand-alone solo performance piece of no less than 30 minutes in length. The absence of any further guidelines provided the opportunity to focus on a subject (or subject matter) of my choosing. Researching symptoms and tendencies of addictive personality disorder as a basis for a class-based performance assignment led me to Eric Show, a pitcher who played professional baseball in the 1980s and early 1990s. Eric’s life was both heartbreaking and compelling. This thesis follows the adaptation of a number of stories and interviews about Show into a performance piece that seeks to bring an audience into the daily struggle of a real-life person while posing questions about what can be done to help people who struggle with addiction. Limiting the characters I would play to a select few who had significant impact on Show’s life, rather that portraying Show himself, my goal was to provide many perspectives on one person’s battles with addiction. The performance piece incorporates mixed- and multi-media elements into the performance to further the dramatic action while providing a template for narrative by serving as transitional interludes. Focusing on my work as an actor by limiting costume changes or other distinguishing differences between characters, the challenge was to be very attentive to other distinguishing details. The thesis represents the inspiration, research, evolution, and final performance draft of my solo performance script as a foundation for further expansion of the piece into a full-length performance text.